Splinter Shards
by PlatinumNacht
Summary: Slash. Just an attempt from me to have a go at a Quinn and Ash fic again. A few shared memories before Ash introduces Mary-Lynnette. They both decide they have a few things to resolve. (Apologies to all if her name's spelt wrong there - I didn't mean it)


Needless to say, I don't own the Night World, or anything in any sort of way even remotely related to LJ Smith and her universe. As much as I would like a council chair, I don't see me getting one any time soon and frankly the time which I have left to become a vampire is running out.  
  
On that thought, can people older than teenagers be turned into shapeshifters though? There's plan B, anyway.  
  
This be my disclaimer. All characters and concepts and what-not belong to the glorious woman herself, LJ Smith only with the full stops in her name. This be work of fun and make-y no profit-y. Dearest Ash and Quinn, please refrain from killing me or I shall be forced to haunt places and help out with the VD team. And we all know how competitive you get on that issue.  
  
Why are my disclaimers longer than the fics?  
  
Read.  
  
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"You need a new dry-cleaner."  
  
Quinn looked up to the top step of the stair case in front of him more through habit than actual need. He knew who the speaker was before the last word was out of his mouth and as soon as his line of sight confirmed what he already knew, he whipped his head away and stalked into a side room without uttering a word.  
  
Half slamming the door shut to the little square room, Quinn heard Rashel's footsteps and then another set, rubber sole's echoing a dull thud against the cold stone floor.  
  
He smiled at that, black eyes closing slightly. Cold stone floor. Now slumped against his closed door and spreading his palms against the smooth blocks of speckled grey flooring, he thought about stone floors and decided that when he got out of Thierry's wonderful little mansion he should like something a little warmer.  
  
Maybe grass.  
  
Not. Fucking. Wood.  
  
Quinn smoothed his hands over the cool floor once again and then relinquished himself to the task at hand.  
  
Ash was right. He really would need a new dry-cleaner after this. He pulled at a shard or elm tucked neatly into his left forearm, three inches secured almost to his bone. A small resonance of reason told him to let Rashel do it, told him someone else should do it. He could hear her, Ash as well.  
  
"Just push the damn thing!" That, Quinn recognised as Rashel, the command laced into her voice as though it didn't belong anywhere else. And the next speaker would be.  
  
"When you're in labour, remind me to repeat what you just said," the blond snapped back, pushing against the door in front of him.  
  
Rashel offered a silent prayer up to the poor soulmate who'd been paired with Ash Redfern while the another part of her wondered absently just how she was supposed to be in labour anytime soon.  
  
//You didn't think that actual thought went into the process of his speech, did you?// She could almost see the faint smile Quinn would be wearing. //You could always ask me to move from behind the door.//  
  
Ash stopped, let the handle go and moved away. Rashel slipped in front of him, opened the door slowly and stepped through the doorway leaving Ash to follow.  
  
Quinn was on his feet with his back to them. His head was dipped down, both arms out of their line of sight. "'Shel?" he called quietly, not turning to acknowledge either of them. When he heard her walk towards him, he stopped trying to dislodge the splinter and held his arm out, waiting.  
  
"I'll leave you to play nurse," Ash said as Rashel reached out to hold Quinn's arm. "Things to do," he said more to himself than anyone else, before he closed the door. "People to see."  
  
--- --- --- * --- --- --- * --- --- --- *  
  
Sable eyes glanced around the empty and all too quiet front room. The floors were stone again, acrylic tiles where the kitchen entrance joined in. This room, however, was heated through the series of pipes running under it and Quinn could hear the water clearly, absence of bodies letting the sound echo.  
  
It didn't feel like a home. The TV with a sofa and a multitude of chairs sat around it all at varying stages of cream, neutral little table with sweet wrappers and a pack of cards Ash had probably taken all the aces from spread over it, TV remote partially hidden in the ante - Thea would no doubt win it and Quinn would once again wonder if there was something in playing with all those tarot cards that made you better at cards in general than anyone else.  
  
It felt like a hostel, a friend's house with everyone over for the free drink and the twenty million and something channels on cable.  
  
"You're a nostalgic little Puritan."  
  
"Just doesn't feel right," Quinn answered and silently acknowledged the fact that he was prone to moments of yearning. Enough so that he hadn't even heard Ash walking in. "You seen Thea?" he asked, rousing himself from his little bubble.  
  
Ash glanced around, walked past the older man and into the tiled kitchen, pulling open the white fridge door. "Yeah."  
  
"Care to elaborate? What ar- you don't eat anything in there."  
  
The blond shut the door back up, looked to his side where Quinn was and then opened up the freezer door instead. "I'm checking what we have and yeah, I've see Thea. She's around five foot something with hair this," he used his left hand the gesture, "long and these really big eyes.am I annoying you yet?"  
  
To that, Quinn smiled, watching Ash pull frozen chicken legs forwards to find out what was behind them and then try to stuff it all back in before closing the door as quickly as he could.  
  
"If everything falls out when it gets opened next, it wasn't me, right?"  
  
"Never is."  
  
Ash stopped rummaging and leant against the counter, twisting his body slightly to face the front room. His expression was as close to a frown as the current situation would let and he knew his eyes to be -  
  
"Brown." Quinn picked up a chocolate from the discarded pile on the table and threw it at the lanky blond who looked even more so now that his legs were stretched properly as he leant. "There," he supplied as Ash looked at the candy quizzically. "The last rolo. Seriously, where the hell is everyone?"  
  
Dropping the chocolate onto his tongue, sticking it out to Quinn and then chewing happily, Ash smiled. "Out," he said through sticky caramel. "Everyone's gone, no one's coming back until the weekend's done and.you and Rashel are going to be the first here to meet my soulmate."  
  
Quinn raised his eyebrows and noticed the quiet tone of the younger man's voice. "You don't pull your punches, do you?" he stopped himself from walking into the open kitchen and decided to sit on the lightest cream chair of the group. The arm previously sliced with elm acted as a rest for his head as he tipped it sideways  
  
"I don't recall you giving me the same benefit so.You were going to meet her one day. I coped with Rashel and Quinn and you'll cope with Ash and Mary-Lynnette." He honestly thought he was about to scuff his foot against the floor at that point - he was already hanging his head.  
  
And he shouldn't have been. There wasn't a real reason why he should be leant against the counter top, head hung and eyes as Quinn had mentioned, brown. There /was/ a reason - if he stood up properly and marched up to the elder he'd have to look down while being shouted at and he didn't think he could do that without laughing. It was a reason, but not a real reason.  
  
"This was all planned? You had everyone else out but me and 'Shel?"  
  
Ash really did feel like scuffing his feet now. Instead, he talked. "Actually, Thea went back home for the weekend with Blaise, so Eric followed; Morgead and Jez don't do staying in anyway; Galen and Keller have gone romping through the forest."  
  
"Needless to say if you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise," Quinn commented.  
  
"Gillian, I had a hard time of convincing to go anywhere - I'm going to have to pay Nilson for favours there. Delos - "  
  
Quinn nodded. "He's on adventure with Thierry, I know. Which leaves Illiana, James and your lady elf, and.whoever else is supposed to be here."  
  
Ash smiled and Quinn heard him laugh a little. "I said I owe Nilson for favours. Not everyone's gone, I can't do /that/ much. Just the people who I can do without the remarks and the giggles. You know, I've never seen Jez giggle, but I think she wo -"  
  
"She does." Quinn lifted his head and pushed to get up from the chair. "You just have to watch her when she plays cards." He let out a breath almost harshly and started walking out of the room. "I don't think there's something that I can say that I haven't said before."  
  
Ash gave a proper laugh and Quinn stopped, turning back to face the younger man. "You could try saying sorry," Ash said, still smiling through the words. "And then we could go out somewhere, buy us some drinks and generally have a better time. We'll both come back, I'll slur my way through a welcoming speech for Mare, you'll fall asleep on the chair. again," he said just as the elder was about to protest, "and a good time will be had by all." Ash thrust away from the counter and looked into a pair of dark eyes, seemingly lighter from the grin he knew was behind them. "Answer?"  
  
Quinn turned away.  
  
He didn't say a word and turned, running a hand through his hair and down his neck before walking.  
  
"I'll tell Rashel we're going to be late." 


End file.
